Sikorsky Development Flight Center

PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS/INFORMATION

Description:

The Sikorsky Development Flight Center has a new slope landing pad in West Palm Beach, Florida. Bomanite Licensee, Connery Concrete worked with Sikorsky Global Helicopters in constructing and installing different sloped Grasscrete slabs to simulate landings on a pitching air craft carrier deck.

According to the Sikorsky Commerical Newsletter “The new pad was officially opened in early January 2010. In addition to providing a world-class landing area for Sikorsky aircraft, the pad also will be used as a pilot training facility for Sikorsky pilots and customers’ pilots. The new landing facility was created to allow for landing capability on inclines up to 15 degrees, in accordance with Aeronautical Design Standard (ADS-33) requirements.”

Sikorsky implemented a green solution for the landing area by choosing grasscrete, in lieu of a solid concrete slab, a natural selection to ensure that there will be no erosion of soil, low maintenance and proper absorption of water to avoid runoff. The voids were filled with soil and planted with Bahia sod.

The Sikorsky Development Flight Center (DFC) operations were started in March 1977 with two buildings and a 1500-ft runway. The facility gradually expanded to 12 buildings, extended its runway to 7000 ft and became a premier site for helicopter development testing. The DFC offers the capability to conduct all types of development flight testing including performance, structural and handling qualities flight test, tethered hover, slope landing, infrared and acoustics signature assessments, confined area night operations, external jettison, and ADS-33 handling qualities assessments.